Antitelescopic car construction.



H. M. PFLAGER.

ANTITELESCOPIC CAR CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8. 1912.

1,140,059 Patented May 18, 1915.

F/q] \f 7 BI STTS HARRY M. PFLAGER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR-TO COMMONWEA LTH STEEL COMPANY, or sr. LOUIS, mssouar, A CORPORATION or new annsnr.

ANTITELESCOPIC can consrnucrron, 3 v

7 Specification of Letters iatent.

ratented iuay 1s, 19115.

Application filed November 8, 1912'. Serial lameness.

will enable others skilled in the art to which i it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in

Figure 1 is a plan view showing parts of car underframes equipped with my improved anti-telescopic means for preventing one car from mounting another in case of collisions. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. and showing the draw-bar and coupler head as contemplated by my improved invention in elevation. Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the draw-bar and coupler head and the support from the underframe therefor.

My invention relates to new anduseful improvements in railway car construction, the principal object of my invention being to provide simple, strong and durable means for preventing one car from mounting another, and therefore rendering the cars anti telescopic in case. of collisions. To accomplish this object I provide an extra strong,

heavy draw-bar having a coupler head provided with a coupling face of the standard M. G. B. contour, and arrange on one side vof the axis of said head and draw-bar a single, forwardly projecting member or horn, and on the opposite side of the head a pair of members or projections spaced apart to receive the single member or horn of the opposite coupler. By so constructing the coupler heads the same are interlocked when coupled so as to prevent undue vertical movement of one coupler head relative to the other, thereby preventing one car from mounting and telescoping another in case of collisions. It is contemplated that while these interlocking members shall operate to prevent excessive relative vertical movement of coupled heads, there shall be suflicient vertical play between them to permit the normal amount of relative vertical movement incident to ordinary use of the cars.

To further-guard against excessive vertical movement of one coupler head relatlve to another and to prevent one car from support is arranged at a mounting and telescoping another in case of collisions I provide an extra strong and heavy draw-bar which is preferably tapered gradually from. the'coupler head-to its rear end, and provide means for supporting said draw-bar at two different points beneath the underfra-me. One extra 'strongsupport is preferably arranged beneath thebufiing sill or the outer end of the car and the other point a] suitable distance to the rear of the first mentioned sup-- port. The extra strong and heavy draw-bar is connected to and supported from the carin a strong and substantial manner, which arrangement, together'with the interlocking coupler heads, is eflective in maintaining the cars in proper horizontal relation with respect to each other in case there is any tendency of one car to rise to an abnormal height with respect to the adjacent car, and at the same time "the couplers operate freely in the usual manner under normal conditions.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed. Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates a portionof the car underframe and 2 the end sill, which parts in the present instance are shown formed integral.

The draw-bar 3 s s-contemplated by my invention is made ext i'a heavy and strong, and the body thereof is preferably tapered gradually fromthe coupler head to the rear 'end, which -construction avoids the shoul-.

ders which are usually formed between the coupler head and the body of the-drawbar; The forward portion of this draw-bar is supported in its usual position beneath the underframe and end sill by a suitable carrier 1, the same being preferably attached to and depending from the end sill or underframe and being connected thereto preferably by means of pins 4. vThis supported, carrier 4 is made extra strong andheavyin order to effectually withstand stresses which may be imparted thereto by the draw-bar in case there is any tendency of one car to mount and telescope another.

The rear end of'the draw-bar is supported by a suitable carrier 5 that is connected to the underframe 1 at a'point a suitable Formed integral with or fixed to the forthe horizontal plane occupied by the center of the coupler head and draw-bar, and formed integral with the opposite jaw of the coupler head is a forwardly projecting,-

outwardly curved member. or horn 9. This member or horn occupies a horizontal plane midway between the top and bottom of the head, and when two heads are properly coupled, the forward portion of said memher or horn occupies a position between the members 8 of the opposite coupler. The space between the members 8 is ample to permit such vertical movement as will 00-. our between the coupler heads under ordinary conditions, but, if one head should be raisedto an abnormal height with respect to the opposite head, the interlocked memhere 9 and 8 will limit such vertical movement. By thus interlocking the coupler heads while the same are coupled to each other and by providing strong, substantial supports for the draw-bar at two points beneath the underframe, extreme vertical movement of one coupler head relative to the other will be prevented and consequently one car will be prevented from mounting and telescoping another in case of collisions.

An anti-telescopic car construction as contemplated by my invention is comparatively simple, provides an extra strong and eflicient connection between cars, permits the coupler heads to operate freely under normal conditions and at the same time effectually prevents one car from moving vertically to an abnormal degree relative to another, and consequently prevents one car from mounting and telescoping another as a result of collisions.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the construction of the various parts of my improved anti-telescopic car construction'can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described with out departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

In an anti-telescopic car construction, a coupler head having a concentrically disposed lug extending forwardly from one side, the thickness of which lug is substan-' tially less than the height of the couplerhead, a pair of concentrically disposed lugs extending from the opposite side of said coupler head, the space between which last mentioned pair of lugs is substantially greater than the height of the first mentioned lug, said space being free and open to permit free horizontal movement of the inter-engaging single lug when a pair of the heads are coupled, the lugs of said pair being respectively above and below the horizontal plane of the single opposing lug, the concentricity of said lugs being described from the axis of movement of the couplerhead relative to its companion when in operative position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 22nd day of October, 191.2.

HARRY M. PFLAGER.

Witnesses I HAL C. BELLvILLE, FRED H. BLANKENHORN. 

